Title: As Red as Blood
Author: Salla Simukka
Translator: Owen F. Witesman
Series: Lumikki Andersson/Snow White Trilogy #1
Publisher: Skyscape
Publication Date: August 1, 2014
Source: Netgalley
Source: Netgalley
So, originally, I was drawn to As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka because I thought it might be a retelling of the every popular Snow White story. It wasn't. I guess I shouldn't assume things and read the book blurb. Though I wasn't totally disappointed, there were some fairy tale references in the story.
What this story is about is a girl named Lumikki Andersson. An outcast by choice. She trusts absolutely no one and prefers to fly very far under the radar. Unfortunately for her, that is rather hard to do when you walk into a dark room that has a ton of money hanging up all around it. The part where it had been covered in blood just makes it that much harder to ignore.
Thanks to her discovery of the money, she ends up helping the trio that did find the money solve a mystery. Why was it left in Elisa's yard? Was her father, the cop, involved in something very serious and illegal? And, why was it covered in blood?
I enjoyed following along with Lumikki while she worked on solving the mystery and getting to the bottom of the whole thing. In the beginning I found it to be a bit of a tough read, but once I got used to all the names (the story was not originally written in English), it flowed a lot smoother.
My biggest complaint about As Red As Blood would have to be that parts of the story did not seem to flow from one part to the next very smoothly. You would be reading part of the story in the now, and then all of a sudden be in a flash back. Or you would be with one character, and then you would find yourself with another. I wish these transitions had flowed better or, at the very least, had more obvious breaks when the transitions were happening. Also, some bits of flashbacks for Lumikki could have been in better parts of the story. Her character is such a mystery in and of itself that some of those flashbacks would have been nicer early on.
As well, I think there may have been some translation issues. I would bet this story is infinitely better in its original language. While it isn't bad, I am sure there are parts that got lost when it was translated into the English language.
Also, just to note, this book is marketed as a Young Adult book. However, I would say that this is for the more mature reader or the older YA crowd. There is violence, murder, and a small bit of language.
In the end, I give this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the story a lot. It pulled me in and kept me engaged. I also commend Salla Simukka for not ending the story in a place that he very well could have that would have been a HUGE cliffhanger. As a reader, I appreciate that.
This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
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